Major Drugstore Chains Now Selling Abortion-Inducing ‘Plan B’ Off the Shelf

Three major drugstore chains–CVS, RiteAid, and Walgreens–have moved “Plan B,” a drug that can induce an abortion, onto the open shelves in their stores, where it is now sold like aspirin or other non-prescription drugs.

In April, Judge Edward Korman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, ordered the Food and Drug Administration to make the drug available on a non-prescription basis to women “of all ages.”

On June 20, the FDA announced that it had approved the non-prescription sale of Plan B to all women who have “reproductive potential” no matter what their age.

“On June 10, 2013, [FDA] notified a United States District Court judge in New York of its intent to comply with the court’s April 5, 2013 order instructing the FDA to make levonorgestrel-containing emergency contraceptives available as an over-the-counter (OTC) product without age or point-of-sale restrictions,” said the announcement.

However, the Food and Drug Administrations also says it does not have any authority to require retailers to carry specific products, including Plan B. Thus, stores remain free to sell or not sell the abortion-inducing drug.